No matter your mood, situation, or location, watching a good comedy is never a bad idea. And the genre offers all different kinds of films to choose from, whether it be a classic slapstick, an endearing rom-com, a family-friendly romp, a wry dramedy, or an action-filled installment of kicking ass and cracking jokes.
With so many options available to you, we’ve put together a list of 30 movies — all Netflix originals — that are worth your time. Keep scrolling to see them all, categorized by which type of comedy you might be in the mood for. You bring the popcorn, they’ll bring the laughs.
If you want to watch a new comedy (or a newish comedy) …
Back in Action
After 11 years away from acting, Cameron Diaz made her triumphant return in the aptly-titled Back in Action. The action-comedy from Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) reunited Diaz with her Annie and Any Given Sunday co-star Jamie Foxx, with the duo playing former CIA agents Emily and Matt. When an operation goes bad, causing the couple to fear for their lives, they disappear and start a new life and family. Fifteen years later, a viral video blows their cover, and they must team up with their kids to survive the incoming threats. The impressive ensemble also includes Andrew Scott, Kyle Chandler, Jamie Demetriou, and Glenn Close.
1h 54m PG-13 2025My List
A Family Affair
If you thought you had a tough situation with your boss, then imagine how Zara (The Kissing Booth’s Joey King) must feel. An aspiring producer, Zara is the overworked and underappreciated personal assistant to self-absorbed movie star Chris Cole (Zac Efron). Things reach official nightmare status when Zara walks in on Chris sleeping with her widowed mother, Brooke (Nicole Kidman), an esteemed author. The trio navigates the awkward situation with help from a supporting cast that features Liza Koshy, Sherry Cola, and Kathy Bates.
1h 53m PG-13 2024My List
Kinda Pregnant
Hailing from Adam Sandler’s production company Happy Madison, the comedy from co-writer Amy Schumer and director Tyler Spindel (The Out-Laws) stars Schumer as Lainy, a teacher who could probably use a lesson or two. When Lainy learns that many people in her life are now pregnant, she begins wearing a fake belly, appreciating the attention. But the lie becomes even more complicated when she meets a new suitor (played by Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte). Joining Schumer and Forte in Kinda Pregnant are Jillian Bell, Brianne Howey, Chris Geere, and Damon Wayans Jr.
1h 40m R 2025My List
Nonnas
In Nonnas, Vince Vaughn trades in his usual wedding-crashing and fraternity-starting buddies for a quartet of grandmas. Based on a true story, the uplifting film from director Stephen Chbosky (The Perks of Being a Wallflower) finds Joe (Vaughn) looking to honor his late mother by opening an Italian restaurant with a group of grandmothers acting as the chefs. And in doing so, Joe is served a new family. The cast includes Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, Linda Cardellini, Drea de Matteo, and Joe Manganiello.
1h 54m PG 2025My List
Unfrosted
For his feature directorial debut, Jerry Seinfeld unwrapped a hilarious treat. Loosely based on the true story of the creation of Pop-Tarts, Unfrosted goes inside the battle between Kellogg’s and Post to be the first to come up with a pastry that will be the breakfast game changer. “We love the idea of grown-up men in suits talking about cereal all day,” Seinfeld told Netflix. “The silliness of how they look and what they talk about just seemed like a fantastic world to be in. You want to put Jim Gaffigan in a tight suit and a blustery kind of face, [shouting,] ‘And you gentlemen better take this work more seriously!’ But it’s about crinkles and puffs and sprinkles and pops, and they’re adults.” Appearing alongside Seinfeld and Gaffigan is an A-list ensemble that includes Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant, James Marsden, and Christian Slater.
1h 36m PG-13 2024My List
If you want to watch something more romantic…
Hit Man
Talk about a hit, man. Released to great acclaim, director Richard Linklater’s Hit Man marked co-writer and leading man Glen Powell’s official arrival as a movie star. Based on a true story, the romantic comedy follows Powell’s Gary, a mild-mannered New Orleans professor who moonlights as a police contractor, posing as a hit man to prevent planned murder-for-hires. But things take a dangerous and sexy turn when Gary meets Madison (Adria Arjona), who’s looking for someone to eliminate her abusive husband. “The fantasy of a hit man occupies a place in our brain because it feels like a simple solution to life’s complicated problems,” Powell said. Stealing scenes opposite Powell and Arjona are Austin Amelio (The Walking Dead) and Retta (Parks and Recreation).
1h 55m R 2024My List
The Incredible Jessica James
Before stealing Kid Cudi’s heart in the animated event Entergalactic, Jessica Williams was finding romance with Slumberland and Bridesmaids star Chris O’Dowd in The Incredible Jessica James.The romantic comedy, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, centers on the titular Jessica James (Williams), a struggling playwright who’s finding even less success in the dating world. Still reeling from a recent breakup, she goes on a blind date with divorcé Boone (O’Dowd) and they soon begin a relationship, while also agreeing to keep tabs on each other’s exes (Someone Great’s LaKeith Stanfield and Master of None’s Noël Wells, respectively). Like most rom-coms, Jessica James flourishes due to the inherent likability of its leads.
1h 23m TV-MA 2017My List
The Kissing Booth
Looking for some euphoria? Enter The Kissing Booth. Based on Beth Reekles’ popular young adult novel, the teen rom-com stars Joey King as quirky high school junior Elle Evans, who suddenly begins attracting the attention of her bad-boy crush Noah (Jacob Elordi). Unfortunately, there’s one big problem: Noah is the older brother of Elle’s lifelong best friend, Lee (Joel Courtney), and the budding romance puts their friendship in jeopardy. Viewers couldn’t stay out of The Kissing Booth, prompting the arrival of a second and third film to make up the trilogy.
1h 46m TV-14 2018My List
Players
Famously, you should hate the game, not the player — and you definitely won’t hate Players. Pitch Perfect 3 filmmaker Trish Sie hits a home run with the Gina Rodriguez-led rom-com, which stars the Jane the Virgin alum as Mack, a New York City sportswriter who’s perfected the art of devising hookup “plays” for her and her friends. But when she meets the devilishly handsome Nick (Lucifer’s Tom Ellis), the games might be over. Rodriguez and Ellis’ extremely charming team of co-stars includes Damon Wayans Jr. (New Girl), Ego Nwodim (SNL), Liza Koshy (Work It), and Joel Courtney (The Kissing Booth).
1h 45m TV-MA 2024My List
Someone Great
If you want to watch something great, writer-director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson has you covered. Produced by Paul Feig, this comedy, like his Bridesmaids, clicks thanks to the endearing friendships between the main characters — not because of a romantic relationship. Gina Rodriguez stars as Jenny, a music journalist who’s on the verge of leaving New York City for her dream job in San Francisco. But her happy ending is derailed when her longtime boyfriend (LaKeith Stanfield) ends things. Luckily, her best friends Blair (Brittany Snow) and Erin (DeWanda Wise) are ready to take her mind off the breakup and give her one last unforgettable night in the Big Apple.
1h 32m R 2019My List
If you want to watch a family comedy …
Family Switch
You know what is better than one body swap? Three body swaps! Adapted from Amy Krouse Rosenthal’s 2010 children’s book Bedtime for Mommy, the film Family Switch hails from director McG (Charlie’s Angels, The Babysitter) and introduces the Los Angeles–based Walker family, led by Jennifer Garner’s Jess and Ed Helms’ Bill. Jess worries that the family has become disconnected — well, be careful what you wish for. A forced attempt at bonding ends with the family of five waking up to find they’ve swapped places. (Well, technically six of them, since baby Miles and dog Pickles also get switched.) And the Christmas-themed comedy features something that every movie-lover can appreciate: the legendary Rita Moreno as the mysterious figure who facilitates the family switch.
1h 45m PG 2023My List
Leo
If you’re a child in need of advice and support, then you can do a lot worse than a tuatara voiced by Adam Sandler. Co-written by Sandler and his longtime collaborator Robert Smigel, this animated musical-comedy stars Sandler as the titular reptile who’s spent his life in a fifth-grade classroom. Leo’s world is suddenly rocked by the dual discoveries that he’s 74 years old and that the expected life span for a tuatara is 75. But he soon finds new purpose when his classroom’s students begin bringing him home — and discover that he’s no ordinary pet. Surrounding Sandler is an all-star voice cast including Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, Jason Alexander, Jo Koy, and Rob Schneider.
1h 46m PG 2023My List
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
This funny and touching (not to mention Oscar-nominated) animated comedy tracks a dysfunctional family on their road trip from Michigan to California, where they’ll drop aspiring filmmaker Katie (Disenchantment’s Abbi Jacobson) off at college. But the mission of patriarch Rick (Danny McBride) to bond with his daughter is sidetracked by a global robot uprising — you know, usual road trip stuff. Joining Jacobson and McBride on this hilarious ride are Maya Rudolph, Olivia Colman, Eric André, Fred Armisen, Conan O’Brien, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Blake Griffin, and Doug the Pug.
The Mitchells vs. The Machines
1h 54m PG 2021My List
We Have a Ghost
If you’re in the mood for a scary good time, then hit play on this family-friendly horror-comedy. We Have a Ghost follows teenager Kevin (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) who discovers a ghost (Stranger Things’ David Harbour) living in the attic of the run-down house his parents got a suspiciously good deal on. After befriending the specter and naming him Ernest, Kevin offers to help his paranormal pal settle some unfinished business — but things take a turn when Kevin’s dad (Anthony Mackie) finds out about Ernest and, hoping to cash in on the situation, posts a video of him online that goes viral. The film also stars Jennifer Coolidge as a cable TV psychic who gets a little more than she bargained for when she visits the house to make contact with Ernest.
2h 7m PG-13 2023My List
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
Adam Sandler’s family joins forces to make this delightful coming-of-age comedy a true family affair. Directed by Sammi Cohen and based on Fiona Rosenbloom’s YA novel of the same name, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah stars the actor’s youngest daughter, Sunny Sandler, as 13-year-old Stacy Friedman, who’s determined to have the bat mitzvah to end all bat mitzvahs. But middle school drama suddenly threatens her big night — and her relationship with longtime best friend Lydia (Samantha Lorraine). Sunny is joined in the film by her real-life sister, Sadie, as Stacy’s sister; their mother, Jackie, as Lydia’s mom; and Adam Sandler himself plays the Friedman family patriarch. And, as if you needed another reason to tune in, Idina Menzel plays Sandler’s wife, making this party into an Uncut Gemsreunion (with a lot less marital strife this time around). This is how we win!
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah
1h 43m PG-13 2023My List
If you want to watch a dark comedy …
Do Revenge
Writer-director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson finds her way onto this list for the second time, courtesy of her Someone Great follow-up, Do Revenge. Loosely inspired by Alfred Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train, this black comedy stars Camila Mendes (Riverdale) and Maya Hawke (Stranger Things) as new friends who bond over their mission to get revenge on the spoiled rich kids who turned them into high school outcasts. Between the stylish look and direction, clever script, and winning performances by Mendes, Hawke, Austin Abrams, and Sophie Turner (plus Sarah Michelle Gellar as the school’s headmaster), Do Revenge makes us nostalgic for the glory days of teen movies.
1h 58m TV-MA 2022My List
Don’t Look Up
It’s hard to beat the pedigree of this Best Picture nominee, which is written and directed by Adam McKay and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Mark Rylance, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, and Timothée Chalamet. (Oh, and let’s not forget music icons Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi!) The film begins with a doctoral candidate (Lawrence) and her professor (DiCaprio) discovering a comet that is set to hit Earth in the coming months and cause catastrophic devastation. The duo struggle to get the government and media to take the threat seriously, and McKay uses the satirical black comedy to comment on the ongoing lack of attention to global warming. So, as you’re laughing — which you will — it’ll also get you thinking.
2h 23m R 2021My List
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Four years after introducing the world to Daniel Craig’s one-of-a-kind private detective Benoit Blanc, writer-director Rian Johnson returned to the Knives Out universe with the delightfully twisty sequel Glass Onion. Blanc is surprised to be invited to tech billionaire Miles Bron’s (Edward Norton) private island for an annual gathering of Bron and his oldest friends, only to suddenly be forced to go from relaxing to investigating when someone winds up dead. In addition to Craig and Norton, the film features an all-star collection of possible suspects, including Janelle Monáe, Dave Bautista, Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, and Kate Hudson.
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
2h 21m PG-13 2022My List
I Care a Lot
Prepare to care a lot about this film. Written and directed by J Blakeson, I Care a Lot tells the story of successful con woman Marla (Rosamund Pike), whose go-to scheme involves tricking courts into appointing her as the guardian for elderly people whom she claims can’t take care of themselves. She places them in assisted-living facilities and sells off their assets. But her latest scam puts her in jeopardy when she hones in on the mother of a dangerous crime lord. Part thriller, part satirical black comedy, I Care a Lot features a Golden Globe–winning performance by Pike as well as colorful supporting turns from Peter Dinklage, Eiza González, Chris Messina, and Dianne Wiest.
1h 58m R 2021My List
IT’S WHAT’S INSIDE
A pre-wedding party gets flipped upside down — and inside out — in this sci-fi horror comedy from writer-director Greg Jardin. It’s What’s Inside stars Brittany O’Grady, Devon Terrell, Alycia Debnam-Carey, and more as a group of friends whose celebration goes in an unexpected direction when an old acquaintance reemerges — with a body-swapping device. “This essentially top-line sci-fi conceit of body-swapping allows us to explore the artificial intimacy presented online in the various forms — social media being a huge one, as well as beauty standards and just a whole lifestyle we see online,” Jardin explains. “What does ingesting those essentially artificial values do to people and to couples in stress, especially to someone who’s being ignored by their partner?”
1h 44m R 2024My List
If you want to watch an action comedy …
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
Forty years after debuting his iconic action-comedy hero Axel Foley, Eddie Murphy dusted off the Detroit Lions jacket to return for the long-awaited fourth Beverly Hills Cop installment. It’s been three decades since Beverly Hills Cop III, but Axel F finds the ever-funny and clever Detective Foley up to his old tricks, when a new case brings him back to Beverly Hills and reunites him with old friends and his estranged daughter. “Some of the funniest moments in Axel F are when Eddie’s improvising,” Axel F director Mark Molloy shared. “For me, a big part of my job was to create the right environment, cast the right people around Eddie to allow him to do what he does best.” Axel F also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Kevin Bacon, Judge Reinhold, and the late John Ashton.
1h 57m R 2024My List
Day Shift
Veteran stuntman J.J. Perry (Django Unchained) made his directorial debut with a supernatural action comedy you can really sink your teeth into. Day Shift stars Jamie Foxx as Bud Jablonski, who poses as a pool cleaner as a cover for his real job: vampire hunter. But business hasn’t been booming for Bud, hence the reason he reluctantly rejoins the vampire-hunting union that previously kicked him out. Joining Foxx on this frighteningly funny gig are Dave Franco, Meagan Good, Scott Adkins, Steve Howey, and Snoop Dogg. In other words, watching Day Shift will feel like the opposite of work.
1h 53m R 2022My List
Red Notice
This globe-trotting adventure brings together three of Hollywood’s most powerful A-listers (and Fast & Furious alums): Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. Written and directed by Johnson’s frequent collaborator Rawson Marshall Thurber, Red Notice introduces Johnson as top FBI profiler John Hartley, who teams up with wisecracking criminal Nolan Booth (Reynolds) to catch the world’s most wanted art thief, Gadot’s Sarah “The Bishop” Black. Expect plenty of action and jokes (including a dynamite Vin Diesel-Cats gag), a surprising twist, and the urge to watch even more heist movies.
1h 58m PG-13 2021My List
If you want to watch a dramedy …
Dolemite Is My Name
While comedy fans have known Eddie Murphy for four decades and counting, the legendary comedian long wanted to reintroduce the world to another name: Rudy Ray Moore. The biographical film from director Craig Brewer picks up the story of Moore just before he creates his career-changing persona, the expletive-spewing pimp Dolemite. Looking to capitalize on his rising popularity, Moore sets out to bring his character to the big screen with Dolemite, which would eventually release in 1975 and become a defining project of the blaxploitation era. Having made just one film in the seven years before 2019’s Dolemite Is My Name, Murphy returned with a force and swagger that earned him a Golden Globe nomination and reminded audiences why they fell in love with him in the first place.
1h 58m R 2019My List
The Laundromat
There’s nothing dirty about Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh making a movie with Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, and Antonio Banderas. That golden quartet forms The Laundromat, which documents the infamous Panama Papers scandal. Banderas and Oldman’s characters serve as narrators for three stories, including one in which Streep plays a widow who learns she won’t receive the insurance money she’s owed after the death of her husband. She then comes across a powerful Panamanian company run by two cunning lawyers (Banderas and Oldman) who hide money for the extremely wealthy. Soderbergh’s cast also features Jeffrey Wright, David Schwimmer, Will Forte, Robert Patrick, and Sharon Stone.
1h 36m R 2019My List
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
Noah Baumbach is now a Netflix mainstay, but the writer-director of Marriage Story and White Noise made his debut on the service with the critically adored dramedy The Meyerowitz Stories. The film follows a group of dysfunctional adult siblings trying to live in the shadow of their father, a noted professor and artist. The film’s star-packed cast includes Baumbach veterans Adam Driver and Ben Stiller, as well as Emma Thompson, Dustin Hoffman, and Adam Sandler (who received high praise for his against-type performance as the floundering eldest son).
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
1h 52m TV-MA 2017My List
If you want to watch a raunchy comedy …
Good on Paper
Stand-up comedian and Spenser Confidential scene-stealer Iliza Shlesinger takes center stage with Good on Paper. The rom-com stars Shlesinger (who also wrote the film) as Andrea, an aspiring actor and comedian who’s long put work ahead of romance. But that all changes when she meets the smart and kind Dennis (Ryan Hansen), a Yale graduate and hedge-fund manager. So, basically, the perfect package — or so Andrea thinks. Margaret Cho and Rebecca Rittenhouse also star in the film, which is even better on-screen than it sounds on paper.
1h 34m TV-MA 2021My List
Ibiza: Love Drunk
Executive produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, this raunchy rom-com stars Community alum Gillian Jacobs as Harper, an overworked New York City publicist who’s sent to Barcelona for an important business meeting. On the trip, Harper is accompanied by her hard-partying friends Nikki (Vanessa Bayer) and Leah (Phoebe Robinson), and a night of clubbing finds Harper connecting with a famous DJ, Leo West (Richard Madden). Work be damned, Harper and her crew follow Leo to nearby noted party hotspot Ibiza, where romance and shenanigans are always on tap.
1h 34m TV-MA 2018My List
Incoming
Every generation deserves their own raunchy high school comedy, and Incoming more than fits the bill for the teens of the 2020s. Written and directed by brothers Dave and John Chernin (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), the film tracks one of the most important nights in a young man’s life: their first high school party. The Black Phone breakout Mason Thames plays Benj, an incoming freshman with his eyes set on his older sister’s best friend. But first, he and his three buddies must survive a party they weren’t invited to. The true scene-stealer of Incoming is Emmy-winner Bobby Cannavale as Mr. Studebaker, who’s trying a little too hard to be “the cool teacher” to his students.
1h 31m R 2024My List
Me Time
This buddy comedy from writer-director John Hamburg (I Love You, Man) pairs up Mark Wahlberg and Kevin Hart as best friends who have grown apart in recent years. But the duo are reunited when stay-at-home dad Sonny (Hart) finally has some time to himself and decides to partake in the wild annual birthday celebration for Huck (Wahlberg). When they aren’t full-on raging, Sonny and Huck discover that they have much to learn about each other — and themselves. Also getting in on Me Time are Narcos: Mexico’s Luis Gerardo Méndez, Love Hard’s Jimmy O. Yang, and Think Like a Man’s Regina Hall.
